Former Arizona legislator Ben Miranda dies at 64

PHOENIX — Former Arizona legislator Ben Miranda, a leader in the
Legislature’s Latino caucus and an outspoken opponent of state immigration laws,
has died. He was 64.

House Speaker Andy Tobin says in an email to lawmakers that Miranda died Friday
and that the cause of death was unknown.

Miranda served in the Arizona House from 2003 through 2010.

During his tenure, illegal immigration became a pressing political issue as
some lawmakers argued state action was required because the federal government
hadn’t done an inadequate job of policing the country’s borders.

Miranda frequently argued that the state didn’t have the manpower to take on
immigration enforcement and that doing so would result in racial profiling of
Latinos.

Miranda’s wife, Catherine Miranda, now holds the House seat that her husband
used to hold.